Brittany Sent on 01/03/2018

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I first met Dave almost 10 years ago when he took my high school pictures (which were amazing!), so it was great to have someone we knew DJ the wedding. One of the MOST important things my fiance and I wanted at our wedding was for guests to dance, and dance A LOT. After talking to Dave on the phone the week before to finalize everything (and he took the time to talk to us for an hour and a half to make sure everything was perfect), I went into the wedding day confident that he knew exactly what we were looking for. We had even created our own altered versions of songs for walking down the aisle and introductions that we sent to him as mp3 files (which I thought might be confusing), but he played the right versions of each song at the right time and everything went perfectly. Then the reception began and, needless to say, he did not disappoint. Once the dancing started, it did not stop - and that is NOT an exaggeration!! He had EVERYBODY on the dance floor - My older family members and younger friends were all dancing! He knows how to read a crowd and tailor the songs to match that. I had multiple friends and family members come to us at the end of the night and the weeks after saying that they had never danced so much or had that much fun at a wedding before (including my fiance and myself), which is exactly what we wanted!! Thanks SO much Dave!

Jonathan Sent on 07/18/2016

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My wife and I used Dave as our photographer for our wedding at a small barn in Holliston, MA after seeing his work on his Web page. He was on a vendor list through the the barn's website and we are extremely happy we took the time to check him out. To put it simply, the photographs are amazing. The thing that everyone else kept telling us before the wedding was, "Make sure to take it in because it's over in the blink of an eye." This is a vast understatement, for even as we tried to step back and enjoy, the night was still a wonderful blur. The best part about Dave's work was that we were able to see the wedding unfold for a second time through his eyes. He captured everything. He was everywhere, and the best part is that I never remember seeing him much. He is a master of catching sincere, organic moments that you would never even know had occurred, but would be heartbroken if you knew it could not be held timelessly through photograph.

In addition to the actual photography, his preparation as well as communication were great. We talked in great detail in the weeks leading up to the wedding, even creating a photographic itinerary down to the minute. It kept our day moving smoothly and much less stressful knowing he was in charge of keeping everything on schedule. I would recommend Dave to everyone and would not hesitate to use his services again in the future! Check out his website and his work; you will not be let down.

Michelle Sent on 06/07/2015

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One thing with having a destination wedding is that you can't really meet with a lot of the vendors leaving most of the work to phone calls and emails. I looked at Daves website and was immediately impressed with just his homepage and then when I looked further I thought I need to have this guy at my wedding, holy smokes! Dave replied to all my emails within an hour or two which is fantastic and we had an hour phone conversation 2 weeks before the wedding to go over final details. once I met Dave and he started taking pictures in the bridal lounge I knew immediately that my photos were going to be beautiful. He has an artistic eye and really knows his stuff. Our ceremony was on the beach at cape cod and he showed as a little preview of some of the pictures on his camera and out of the 2 or 3 I saw I couldn't believe my eyes!! Dave is so ridiculously talented and a true professional. He takes charge and has a vision and goes with it. Not only is he so talented but he is a wicked nice guy!! Eric and I loved talking with him and are so grateful for all the great shots he took of our wedding. He is the real deal. If you want incredible wedding photos that will make your jaw drop, contact Dave he will not let you down!!!! He is the very best!! I highly recommend him!!!! Thanks again Dave you're the best!!!!

Sharon Sent on 01/09/2014

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Dave was awesome to work with, and such a talented DJ. My sister referred me to him, so he gave me and my husband special pricing including 5 hours of DJ-ing, a 3-hr photobooth rental (run by his wonderful wife Lindsay), and uplighting.

The music was spot-on. The dance floor was filled from start to finish, and I even had one guest ask me on the dance floor (over the blasting music) "WHERE DID YOU FIND THIS GUY?? HE'S AWESOME!" So there you have it. I can't even remember what he played, but I do know that both my guests AND me were hard to pull off the dance floor!

The photobooth was also lots of fun! They provide their own props, but said we could also bring our own so we contributed a few props as well. Lindsay was super sweet and professional throughout all of the guests' photobooth shenanigans. :)

Finally, the uplighting. It was perfect! It added just the right amount of warmth to our venue, Colonial Hall at Rockafellas, which had high ceilings and white walls.

So if you're looking for a DJ/Photobooth, definitely look into Modern Artistry! Dave was always super friendly in his emails, and incredibly quick to respond, which is always such a relief during wedding planning!

Thanks again Dave and Lindsay, for a memorable wedding day!

Chris Sent on 11/02/2015

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Dave is by FAR one of the best wedding DJ's out there. My family has used him for his DJ and photography services now at 6 weddings over the past 7 years. He is very professional, fun and honest!

Michelle Sent on 04/30/2013

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We used ModernArtistry as the DJ for our wedding, and we're so glad we did! Dave Donato took care of all of the logistics leading up to our wedding, and was super responsive throughout the planning process. Any time we had a question, we could always count on hearing from him right away with a very detailed response. This really helped to put us at ease, and we actually booked Dave without ever meeting him, since we were planning our wedding from a distance.

Dave ended up getting laryngitis right before our wedding, so his wife Lindsey stepped in to be our DJ. Luckily for us, this couple is fantastic and took it all in stride - after a phone call with Lindsey, we felt completely confident with her taking the reins as our DJ, and she did an amazing job. Lindsey kept everything running smoothly and our reception went exactly as planned...it could not have been more perfect. Literally every single guest was on the dance floor, and people are still telling us what a great party it was!

Laurie Sent on 08/25/2011

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Dave was our photographer, Lindsey was our DJ and they are both fantastic! Lindsey kept the party going all night and Dave captured every moment of it. I know many people who have used Dave and/or Lindsey and I would recommend the husband/wife team to every bride-to-be!

Nicole Sent on 10/27/2010

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AMAZING!!!!!!!! I Love them!!! Great work very friendly and easy to work with. SO happy with Dave's work.

Karyn Sent on 07/15/2010

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Working with Dave Donato was one of the smartest moves we made during the planning process of our engagement. Dave is not only the most talented and artistic photographer we spoke to, but he is the kind of person you could spend hours talking to and have no idea where the time went. Incredibly down to earth, supportive and someone I will always be grateful to have met.

Regarding his art, people are STILL raving about our engagement pictures a year after they were taken. On the wedding day, Dave was not only our skilled man behind the camera, but was the person who kept us on time and because of him, the day ran incredibly smooth. Keeping my family focused is a very difficult job but Dave made the undertaking look effortless.

I look at the pictures friends and family took throughout the day and Dave is in every shot. He worked so incredibly hard and it was so evident with the final product. Interestingly, we never noticed him during the ceremony or reception. He managed to be everywhere and no where all at the same time. Meaning, our shots are organic and true to the moment. Something I found most photographers do not have the ability to achieve. He puts his heart and soul into his work and it shows. There are no words to express my happiness and gratitude toward Dave. My advice: if you contact Dave and he is available to photograph your wedding, secure the date and you will not be sorry. He is truly that wonderful.

Pauline Sent on 09/03/2010

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Dave Donato was the best DJ ever! He met with us beforehand, and zeroed in on exactly the kind of music that would be perfect for our guests. We are a somewhat older couple, but Dave had everyone up on the dance floor all night. At one point, I looked out across the room to see who I could coax up onto the dance floor, but no one was seated. Everyone was on the dance floor! Months later our guests keep talking about what a great time they had. "The best wedding I've ever been to," is what we keep hearing. Dave made our wedding a memorable, fun night not only for us, but for our guests as well. He was also a pleasure to work with -- professional in every way.

Kristen Sent on 06/12/2010

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Dave was the photographer for our wedding. Our pictures, which were done in the remnants of a hurricane, were absolutely amazing!! Dave made pictures of a gray, dreary, rainy day perfect! I would not change our wedding weather into any other type of weather. Dave was able to coordinate our day, he was very on top of things, and he made sure I was on time. He even checked my makeup and teeth for me! I have recommended him multiple times and am in love with my pictures! He had great turn around with the cd of my pictures. We got them within about 2 weeks and we were printing pictures immediately. Thanks for the great work!

Toni Sent on 10/20/2009

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We were more than happy with this company. Dave Donato is the owner and was very prompt and considerate in responding to our questions. Although he and his wife could not do our wedding, he referred us to John and Billy who work for him. They were fantastic. John, the DJ, had the dance floor mobbed the entire evening. There were people dancing that I hadn't ever seen on a dance floor. Billy seemed to be everywhere at once taking pictures. I would defentily use them again.

Karen Sent on 11/03/2015

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Dave was nothing short of amazing in photographing our wedding. He was always easy to work with and plan with prior to our big day and during both the ceremony and reception managed to produce beautiful photos with an artsy touch. His confidence in his work emulated as he worked and I never felt overwhelmed by him taking photos as he seemed to keep a behind the scenes approach.

Crystal Sent on 01/04/2008

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Dave is hands down the best DJ I have experienced. Not only does he have the experience that we all want but he is great at what he does. Dave tuned in immediately to our personalities and shared our vision of the perfect wedding. The music was perfect and he did an amazing job of making the whole night seamless from introductions to the final song. I have recommeded Dave to several friends and family and they all have been just as happy with the results.

User1047613 Sent on 12/17/2012

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Really great - we were really happy with Dave and his team - our guests were very happy too!
Highly recommend

Andrea Sent on 09/01/2009

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Dave did a great job taking my wedding pictures recently and would recommend him to anyone. He is very responsive and timely and does a great job being flexible. My photos were beautiful and he did a great job. Our only gripe is the event turn around time- we have only recieved about 1/3 of the photos and it has almost been two months- Dave was reasonable but the second photographer he used has been slow.

Kristy Sent on 03/30/2018

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We were overall pretty disappointed with Dave and his work on our photography and videography of our wedding. He had been recommended to us by a friend for his ease to work with and flexible nature about going through the day which was everything I was looking for in a photographer. We had spoke on the phone and he seemed to be laid back and organized. As I'm not a particularly artistic person I much prefer candid pictures that catch the essence of the day as opposed to posed photos and he stated that was his style. It could not have been more opposite. Group shots and even shots with my husband and I took 10-15 minutes each to set up leaving me frustrated throughout the day. His particular nature, lent to us standing for long periods of time for a single shot. Though my husband and I have some beautiful photos together it was not worth 75minutes of our wedding reception to capture the 6-7 poses we got. I have no useable family photos or group photos of my wedding party as they are either blurry or have been staged so not everyone face is able to be seen in the photo after 15 minutes of posing us. As far as candids of my wedding party, girls getting ready there are only a handful even though he was there for 2.5 hours of prep time with us before the ceremony.

Additionally, our wedding video was horrible. The videographer needed a lesson in how to use the camera from Dave when he arrived. I'm pretty sure it was his first time shooting a wedding. Again, I'm not artistic so I wanted only 6 things shot. Ceremony start to finish, bridal party entrance into the first dance, parent dances, speeches, cake cutting, and sparkler exit. Our bridal party entrance and first dance was not recorded. The video was riddled with poor zooming, shaky shots, and videographer and photographer constantly in each others shots. Overall, I was highly disappointed.

dave donato / modernArtistry's reply:

I originally saw this post and was shocked at most of what is written (video disappointment acknowledged). I have since spoken with this client and discussed the issues that are mentioned, apologizing for what I could. I rarely pose portraits, never mind taking 10 to 15 minutes per pose. I would not waste a Bridal couple's time on their special day taking that long on anything. Not sure what Kristy thinks she remembers, or why this is mentioned but I rarely pose portraits at all, they would not be natural portraits if posed. Not my style. Candids of the women in the bridal party are plentifully captured, very clear, and creatively expressed as always. If requested I'd be happy to share any images from this Event. However - The videographer I hired to cover that service is very experienced, but it was a new camera for him and that evening was his first time with that camera, not at all his first time as a videographer. As professionals, of course we went over the new cameras features and such. It was very unfortunate that yes, the introductions and first dance were not recorded, which is of course inexcusable. I could not ascertain if it was the camera or videographer's fault, but I no longer employ this videographer.

Brian Sent on 06/18/2017

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When we first spoke with Dave, we were very excited to have him perform a number of services at our wedding (Photography, DJ, Photo Booth). In hindsight, maybe it was too many things for him to juggle. Initially, we had great responses from Dave, but as our wedding approached, the level of response dropped dramatically.

Photography: First, we were very pleased with the ceremony and family photos that Dave took for us. When it got to the reception, while Dave was also DJing, he said he would take some photos during songs. Unfortunately, most were out-of-focus or blurry.

DJ: Having spoken to Dave, we were told to make a playlist and a list of do-not-plays. He agreed to start with our playlist, and if the crowd wasn't responding, he would move on to similar music. While we understood it was supposed to be a guideline, we were very disappointed that not a single song from our extensive playlist was played. It became obvious to us that a lot of what we discussed with Dave over the phone was forgotten, perhaps once his season became a little busier. In addition, it was quite clear to some guests that Dave was away from the DJ table at least 20-30 minutes (which a portion was eating dinner as is to be expected), but some noted to us that he was walking between the dinner tables talking on his cell phone during this time.

Photobooth: Dave's colleague Eric ran the photobooth at our wedding. Our guests did enjoy it, but some remarked (as we also noticed) that the prints were not high quality, as they were off-colored and washed-out looking.

If you have any questions or would like to see any photo proofs or photobooth photos, please don't hesitate to contact us!

dave donato / modernArtistry's reply:

My email, text, social media, and phone call response times are nearly always less than a couple hours. I'm actually known among my clients for such responsiveness. If I'm on a flight however, or on an all-day photographic project, I always return messages left as soon as possible. Rarely would a reply go into the next day.

I never ask for playlists, have never done so at a single Wedding I've worked. I do ask for the very important Do-Not-Play list, which is always, always, strictly adhered to. Playlists however, when provided, I used a guides as mentioned above. Which I did at this event. However, if guests are not responding well to songs within a playlist, I do stray from the list and play what works for the group while keeping in mind the Do-Not-Play list and musical interests of the couple. A formula that has worked for me AND my clients at well over 1200 Weddings.

I never leave my DJ area for any length of time, unless I'm having a dinner, which is done during the same time of the guests. I always take my phone with me to have during my dinner, which is in my hand as I walk? :) Walking throughout the reception while talking on my phone is just ridiculous. I work 5-star properties among many other beautiful locations, I'd not be allowed back if I did this. Ridiculous.

Photobooth prints are standard, 2" by 6" strips with three full color HD photos contained within.

In terms of asking me to take photos while I was a hired as a DJ, yes, I did say to the couple that I'd have a camera with me, and if I could, I'd take a photo here or there during their reception. But as a DJ my primary contracted-responsibility was to DJ the reception, not act as a photographer while performing as a DJ. Based on this post, it seems somehow there was an expectation I could work both at the same time? Impossible, and again, I'd not be invited back to a property if a management team member saw someone trying to work both professions at the same time.

Ran Sent on 07/19/2016

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We booked Dave for our wedding. Hiring Dave is absolutely the biggest mistake we made during planing a wedding.

First of all, Dave did NOT provide the services we agreed on. In our contract, it clearly stated he will provide DJ service and up to 12 Uplights. We did not find a single Uplight on our wedding day. We asked Dave about this later and he claimed that because we didn't request the uplights before the wedding. We immediately felt deceived. We mentioned more than once before the contract signing that we need both DJ and Uplights, it also clearly listed in the contract. We trusted him will do a good job in lightning so we only finalized the details on music. Then it turns out he used our trust against us.

Secondly, he is not a very responsive. A week before the wedding, I reached out to him(yes, the bride to be had to take the initiative and reached out the vendor) to finalize the details about the music. We scheduled a call and he missed it(he said he forgot to call me..). Then we scheduled another one, he did call me eventually but 20 mins late. You can just feel how careless he is about the wedding.

Thirdly, He is not a very good DJ. We only hired him for reception which starts at 7pm. But we are kind enough to provide the meal as well. After our entrance and right before the first dance(about more than 1 hour), he is not even at his station, because he was having his meal. Before the initial contact with him, we have expressed our concern that we have a very shy group. Hope he could lead us dancing if necessary. On the wedding day, our dancing floor is dying and we basically have to drag people back to the dance floor. Dave still stood behind his station. We have to end our wedding 30mins earlier because of the situation.

Overall, we paid thousands of dollars (and a meal) hiring Dave to play some songs for an hour. We're definitely not happy about our experience.

dave donato / modernArtistry's reply:

I and my team absolutely provided the services promised, and as contracted with this client. I there were not, trust me, this client would have had me in court. Seriously, one of only two clients in 25 years of Weddings, where I've ever second-guessed the decision to work together. I have always been very very thankful as many have asked if I get "Bridezillas". I have always said no, my clients are all amazing! I love working with them all. This, however, and I cringe to say it publicly because I am well aware it's not nice nor professional to do so, but, not a nice person.

Re. the uplights: I have the completed checklist of choices, as completed by the Bridal couple, which clearly states they chose not to include the lights. Then during our verbal review, it was re-iterated, no lights were to be included. Then, at the Wedding, the Groom came to me and asked "where are the lights", to which I replied "these were declined", showed him his form that they completed, reminded him that during our call they confirmed no lights. He understood that night, said it wasn't a problem, they were having fun. I'm sure this is why the issue was not pursued later, until this review posting.

I've never missed a client meeting, and I am nearly always the first to contact a couple heading into a Wedding. If I'm contacted prior to my own attempt, it is in no way any indication that "I forgot" to contact anyone. And I am known for the detail and care I put into these planning meetings, none are more thorough or have more care given. These meetings are the tools a DJ needs to be the guy that "makes or breaks the Wedding", as the expression goes. Please.

Clarifying, this couple was not "kind enough to provide a meal", it's clearly stated within all my contracts that a meal must be provided given that I'm there 2.5 hours early to a 6 hour Wedding, with an hour of break down to complete an event. A common detail in most Wedding-day professional contracts.

I've never led dancing, in my life. Ever. Anywhere. Ever. I would never. If you speak with me for 11 seconds about your Wedding, you'd know I would never lead a dance floor, never teach a line dance, in fact only PLAY a line dance if you insisted. Ha. Never would I ever never ever never lead a dance floor.

This post just shows somehow a very deep level of confusion on behalf of the Bride regarding what was expected and what was reality - between the lights, a missed meeting, her initiating contact with me, her being "kind" to provide a meal, and SOMEHOW somehow somehow getting the impression I'm going to get my awkward dancing ass out there and lead a dance floor?? Not if you drugged me after getting me drunk while I had a concussion.

And yes, that's what Bridal couples do - they pay thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars (and yes, a freaking meal), to play pre-recorded music from other musical artists for an hour, or more even. Kinda silly when you think about it isn't it? :)

I'm sorry you were "definitely not happy about your experience". Really, it is no doubt of the utmost importance to me that each couple enjoys their Wedding day. Quite truly, it is. This is the big day, it is supposed to be the happiest day to date in your life, second only to the day you and your husband may one day be blessed with a child.

After the $100 gratuity and expression of appreciation that evening given to me by your husband, and all the compliments from your guests as they departed that evening, it seems the reality of the fun evening had by all was somehow different than the experience you had? All I can wish for you is that your next big day gives you a better experience, second only to the day you and your husband may one day be blessed with a child.

Israel Sent on 07/17/2017

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My daughter hired Dave to Photograph her wedding in 2014. The pictures were very amateurish and could have been done better with a point and shoot camera. It took my daughter until this past February to finally pick the pictures for her album. Pictures where promised in weeks. It is now July and still no album.

dave donato / modernArtistry's reply:

This Wedding was photographed by one of my former professionals who no longer works with me.

That said, when photos for an Album are chosen in February (nearly one year later), I tell all clients I cannot resume creating layouts for Albums until October, after the Wedding season comes to a conclusion. This is very clearly stated at the time of our contract, with very clear production deadlines for sending me Album-image choices.

It is unfortunate this client's father decided to send a 1-star review into my profile due to his mis-understanding of the agreement between myself and my Bridal couple.

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